If I Could Heal Your Wounds
by LesMisLoony
Summary: COMPLETE! Sequel to Words of Love. Actors in Les Mis have lives that kind of parallel the story. Remember the love quadrilateral? Well, now it's turned around and facing the other way. PG for drugs and naughtiness. Look for the threquel.
1. Still I Say There's A Way For Us

A/N- Here it is! The sequel to Words of Love! 'Why on earth did she do a sequel?' the Reader asks. Because I love Mark! That's seriously the only reason. And I wanted to give Mark and Nina a chance.  
  
Praise for If I Could Heal Your Wounds:  
  
"That's good! I like that better than the first one!" Pink Velvet, to whom this story is dedicated.  
  
"You wrote that? Are you kidding? How could a dork like you write something that mushy?" Janet, my sister at heart.  
  
"Scott did WHAT?" Emma, who doesn't know how to review.  
  
"I did too read it! Alright, ask me a question then. Mark? He was... her friend? Okay, so I didn't read it..." My mother. Need I say more?  
  
No one else has read it. Okay, sorry, I had to do that. On with the story!  
  
IF I COULD HEAL YOUR WOUNDS  
  
Slowly, Mark leaned down and kissed Nina's forehead.  
  
This seemed to break the trance, and everyone began to move at once. Amanda located her cell phone and dialed 911, ignoring the rain splashing on the keypad. John helped Mark carry Nina's limp body to the wet curb. Only Scott did not move.  
  
As the sound of sirens began to approach, John suddenly shouted, "I think she's just unconscious! I think she's breathing."  
  
The look in Mark's eyes as he said this was indescribable.  
  
The ambulance arrived, and two men lifted Nina into the back. "We got room to bring somebody," the taller of the medics announced. "Who wants a ride?"  
  
Someone shoved Mark forward, and he was instructed to climb into the vehicle.  
  
"Will you have enough understudies and swings to cover three main characters?" he asked.  
  
"Trust me, buddy," Ryan said, "you'd suck if you tried to go onstage tonight anyway, what with her in the hospital."  
  
"Tell it like it is," John sighed. "You go, Mark. We'll be fine."  
  
Relieved, Mark climbed into the back of the ambulance with Nina and the medics.  
  
"Figured it'd be you coming," the taller man said as he shoved a needle into a vein on Nina's hand."  
  
Mark winced. "Why?"  
  
"You're the one all covered in blood, aren't you?"  
  
Mark looked down at himself. His white shirt and khaki pants were stained red.  
  
Something began to beep. "I've got a pulse!" shouted the short medic. "This girl might have a chance!"  
  
"What happened? She get hit by a car?"  
  
Mark nodded wordlessly. Nina would be okay! He hadn't lost her. And she loved him... Nina loved him. Everything was turning out alright.  
  
Within ten minutes, the ambulance had arrived at the hospital and Nina had been set up in a room. Mark seated himself in a chair next to the bed.  
  
A few hours later, the entire cast crowded into the little white room.  
  
"How was the show?" Mark asked.  
  
Everyone looked embarrassed.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"We were awful!" Amanda finally admitted.  
  
"Awful?"  
  
"Nobody could concentrate on the show," John explained. "I think I sounded like... Gary Morris."  
  
"You did," Rob assured him.  
  
"Well, thanks! You sounded like Tracy Shane!"  
  
Rob frowned and scratched the rash on his jawbone. "She played Cosette, not Javert."  
  
John rolled his eyes. "That's my point."  
  
"I think I'm quite the Philip Quast," Rob said indignantly.  
  
"Not today, you weren't."  
  
"How's Nina?" Scott interrupted.  
  
Mark studied the young man before him. Dark circles had formed under Scott's eyes. He seemed... haunted...  
  
"Ah yes! The star of the show!" Ryan cried.  
  
"Scott made everyone cry during his big solo," Amanda sighed.  
  
Sam grinned. "The only one who did well."  
  
"Nina's going to be alright. She has a broken leg, some broken ribs, cuts, bruises... but she'll be herself in a few months, doctors say."  
  
"We thought she was..." Ryan began. He stopped abruptly and did not finish the sentence.  
  
Amanda broke the silence. "When will she be awake?"  
  
A voice from the back of the crowd answered. "Not until tomorrow, and visiting hours are over. Clear out, all of you."  
  
The actors all turned to see a cross doctor standing in the hallway.  
  
"Let this boy stay," John requested, pointing to Mark.  
  
"Is he family?" asked the doctor.  
  
John looked quickly at the others. "Her brother."  
  
"That true?"  
  
Everyone nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"You don't look alike."  
  
"He was adopted!" Josh shouted.  
  
A few of the cast suppressed groans. Adopted?  
  
But the doctor did not order them all out, as they had feared. He looked from Mark to his bloody clothes to Nina to the faces of the cast. "I get it. Sure, he can stay."  
  
Everyone filed out of the room but John. "Found these in the dressing room." He handed Mark a plastic bag with clean clothes.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"We were worried about you kids," John said gravely.  
  
"You mean Nina."  
  
"I mean both of you," he said as he walked out.  
  
Mark changed in the adjoining bathroom as the doctors checked over Nina again. He folded his bloodstained clothes and put them in the bag, which he laid on a chair by the window.  
  
"She's a tough kid," the doctor announced. "Soon as her leg heals you won't even know she was here."  
  
He left, and Mark returned to Nina's side. He watched her for a while, making sure she was breathing. Her hand lay atop the white sheets, and Mark took it in his. 


	2. The Worst is Over

Nina slowly opened her eyes.  
  
_White,_ she thought. _If this is death, then it's bright.  
_  
She lay still for a moment, then became aware of a cast on her leg and bandages around her chest.  
  
_What does that mean? Am I alive?_  
  
It was at this moment that the door of her room opened, and Mark entered followed by an angry nurse. "I'm sorry," he was saying, "but I swear every floor looks alike! Nobody told me there was no gift shop! I've been to hospitals where they had a place to buy toothpaste, I promise! It was-"  
  
"Mark?"  
  
He froze for a moment, then rushed to her side. "Nina! Oh, we were so worried about you! The whole cast was here, and they said the show last night was horrible because they couldn't stop thinking about you! Are you okay? Do you need anything?"  
  
Nina smiled and took his hand. "I have everything."  
  
**-----**  
  
The entire cast was back within an hour after the hospital opened to visitors. They were reliving the highlights (or lowlights) of their terrible performance.  
  
"Oh! And everyone was in tears all the way through A Little Fall of Rain! It was awful!"  
  
"I missed my line in Lovely Ladies."  
  
"When I threw the bag of bullets, I missed and got it all tangled up in the barricade!"  
  
"Diana forgot to bring her locket onstage. I had to pretend she was giving me something."  
  
"I fell off the chair when the stage started turning at the end of Master of the House."  
  
"Yeah, and he landed on me!"  
  
"But _you_ dropped a plate during the wedding and it rolled down into the pit!"  
  
"I tripped on my wedding dress and fell when I was rushing to John's side at the end."  
  
"Rob's voice cracked during 'on.'"  
  
"Oh, shut up, John! Your voice never stopped cracking."  
  
Nina laughed. "How'd you do, Mark?"  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"He stayed here," John said, watching Nina's face.  
  
"Really? You skipped the show for me?"  
  
Mark's ears turned red and he nodded.  
  
"You shoulda seen him! He was a wreck!" Ryan said. "And I mean that physically, too," he added, indicated the clothes folded in the chair by the window.  
  
"Told you I'd get your shirt all bloody," Nina sighed.  
  
"Are you coming back to the show?" Josh asked.  
  
"Of course I am."  
  
"Who are you gonna be?"  
  
"Say what?"  
  
Mark smiled. "Don't tell me you don't remember why I almost got you killed. You can have Eponine... if you want it."  
  
Nina's face lit up. "Will they put my full name back in the program?"  
  
"Your full name?" This was from Scott, who had not yet spoken.  
  
"You don't remember... oh, you didn't join the cast till afterward! Nina's real name is Eponine, but it confused people to see 'Factory Girl' played by 'Eponine.' They weren't sure what it meant," Amanda explained.  
  
"Everyone generally calls me Nina... my parents call me Ponine. My friends do too, but only if they want something."  
  
The nurse from earlier that morning came bustling in. "Goodness, miss, but you have a lot of friends!" she exclaimed. Then, recognizing Scott, she said, "Holy Moses! You're Marius! ...And Javert! Valjean! Gavroche! Holy... what are you, miss, the world's biggest Les Mis fan? Enjolras! Oh, I didn't recognize you this morning, or I wouldn't have fussed like that!"  
  
Everyone waited until the nurse had rushed out of the room to dissolve into fits of laughter.  
  
"Eponine sounds good," Nina said quietly.

* * *

A/N- My computer is healed! The Inspector's New Groove got removed from fanfiction.net for some reason I can't quite figure out. I'll try to post it somewhere else and let y'all know about it when I do. And I finally started work on my threquel! Yay! Oh, and I tend to turn my stories into tragedies... you know, ending with a random "death"... although the death isn't always as permanent as one might think. Like Nina's was... you'll see.  
  
RoseMisre- I'm glad it's not awful... I'm infatuated with Mark, so I had to keep going even after Nina apparently died... yeah.  
  
Andi;;- Josh was Gavroche. Sorry to make you wait, but the computer fixin' man ain't as talented as we'd hoped. And even more interesting, the day we got the computer back my phone lines died! Someone's against me...  
  
Elyse3- No! You've stolen my John! And Danica Enjolras kidnapped Rob... dangit... Now I got nothin'.  
  
La Pamplemousse- I know... my friends and I always laugh insanely when a Beetle goes by... and we have no fear of other cars. We've decided that the only way we could die is by a Bug and with our beloved Squishy nearby. Yeah, it doesn't make sense, but whatever.  
  
Danica Enjolras- Between you and Elyse3 I've got no senior cast members! And that just ruins my threquel... I like John and Rob too... I'll admit that I prefer Rob (just cos he's Javert) but John has a bigger part in the story.  
  
nebulia- Ooh... hope I didn't get you in trouble... tell your mother that fanfiction is so much more important than room-cleaning! Or maybe you shouldn't... I said that to mine once and she got mad at me...  
  
Forseti- Yes, Nina and Mark shall have their chance. Ooh... that might have sounded kind of... never mind. Now I'm scared I'm giving stuff away! Oh no...  
  
TaRe-ChiBi- Was it Jon Jon Briones? As the Engineer? I saw him in Miss Saigon and absolutely loved him. And I liked Jonathan Pryce pretty well too, so it's saying something that I liked him more. I love Miss Saigon... I actually loved it before heard of Les Mis. When I found out they were written by the same people (which was after my Miss Saigon obsession had taken a backseat to LM) I was in a state of shock for about a month.  
  
Sohara von Salienta- Well, the story idea for Words of Love had been bugging me for a little over a year. Then I finally wrote it out but I'd put too much into the characters for me to just stop there. So I decided that Nina didn't have to die... because I love Mark... yeah. I actually had a scene where the ambulance came and the dudes said Nina was dead, but I changed it for my sequel. Then I finished the sequel but had already come up with a character in the threquel who I really liked... so I decided I would write another story just so I'd be able to talk about him. But I definitely won't write any more after the threquel. 


	3. A Girl Who Can't Refuse

Over the next few weeks cast members visited daily, much to the awe of the nurse. Mark hardly left Nina's side, going home only when the doctors chased him out and twice a day for the show.  
  
He had not even wanted to leave then, but Nina insisted that having an understudy as Eponine was enough for one show. Diana was again Fantine. Mark daily told Nina of the anxious crowd of girls that always accumulated near the stage door, desperate for news of their favorite Fantine – soon to be Eponine.  
  
Late one night after a visit, Scott was walking home with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his brown leather jacket, humming On My Own. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and sighed loudly.  
  
"Girl trouble?" asked a quiet voice from the shadows.  
  
Scott whirled around to see a stranger clutching a little plastic bag. The man reminded him of Thénardier: thin, bent, and greasy. It was impossible to guess his age – he may have been twenty, but he may have been fifty.  
  
"S'matter, friend? You got the question; I want your answer. Having girl trouble?"  
  
Scott looked down at the sidewalk, nodding.  
  
"I can help you." He held out the little bag. Scott could see what looked like a little blue pill in the bottom.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You don't trust me? You put this in her drink, see, and she's yours, no harm done. I swear by morning she won't remember a thing," the man said, winking.  
  
Scott gasped. "That's sick!"  
  
"Listen to me," the stranger hissed. "Take this now! I wanna stay at the shelter tonight, but they'll check me and find it and won't let me in! Just get it off me – I don't care what you do with it!"  
  
He shoved the bag into Scott's hand and dissolved into the shadows.  
  
Scott stared at the blue pill. Could he just drop it and run? No... if it really was illegal, someone could find it and turn it in, and it had his fingerprints on it. He had to get rid of it somehow. He eventually decided he'd take it home and dump the little pill into a glass of water, let it dissolve, and pour it down the sink. Then he could throw the bag into the trash. It was elaborate, but it was safe. Scott shoved the plastic bag into the pocket of his brown leather jacket and continued his walk home.  
  
A block later, as he was passing a bar, the door swung open and a rough looking man came out, his arm around a pretty little Asian girl.  
  
Scott stared in disbelief. "Danielle?"  
  
"Who're you?" the man asked.  
  
The girl's face turned red. "Oh God! It's Scott!"  
  
"You're the famous Scott?" the man said incredulously. "Danny, he's just a pretty-boy pansy!"  
  
"Danielle! Listen to me, Danielle, please! I didn't-"  
  
The man took a step toward him. "You leave my girl alone, hear me?"  
  
Danielle giggled. "Hush, Jim, I'm not your girl."  
  
"You are for tonight anyway."  
  
Scott's eyes widened. "_Danielle!_"  
  
She looked sadly at Scott. "Come on, Jim."  
  
They started to walk away. Scott stood frozen in front of the bar, his eyes fixed on Danielle. When the couple was about a block away, she looked over her shoulder at Scott, saw him watching her, and quickly leaned over to kiss the man on the cheek. Scott turned away.  
  
The little blue pill was driven completely from his mind. It remained in the pocket of his brown leather jacket.

* * *

A/N- Ooh... this was a very PG chapter... -immature giggling- And it was ominous! Drugs and Danielle! Muahahaha! So...  
  
nebulia- Pretty sad, aren't they? Well, they tried, anyway. I don't know, if I just thought I saw one of my friends get killed I think I'd be an idiot too.  
  
Danica Enjolras- Okay, when I'm done with the threquel I will officially and legally give you Rob. The nurse was sort of me... except... a nurse.  
  
La Pamplemousse- I love my Squishy. He's very hot and he will probably be my stand partner next year in orchestra -big happy face-  
  
Mlle Verity le Virago- That's the plan! Oh, you'll see about Bri later... you know what? That kind of rhymed. Do you plan to see any shows at that theatre in Raleigh in the future? I wanna see Little Shop of Horrors and... ooh... I forgot...  
  
Elyse3- Can do. -military salute- I'd offer to let you officially have him when I finish the threquel, but I think he'll be necessary for... other things in his fictitious life. Not that I'm going to write another one after the threquel.  
  
RoseMisre- Probably... I wish I'd been there... it would've been quite funny. My favorite mental image is Cosette tripping during Valjean's death scene. 


	4. I Am Lost! I Am Found!

Nina soon moved from the hospital bed to crutches, which were put aside when the cast was removed from her leg a few months later.  
  
The day finally came that she was well enough to return to the show. Everyone was thrilled to see her – even her understudy. She was smothered in hugs before she made it to the dressing room.  
  
As Amanda was helping her tighten the corset strings of her Lovely Lady costume, Nina suddenly laughed aloud.  
  
"Hush," Amanda scolded. "You'll ruin Diana's solo!"  
  
"Amanda, listen to this! I was a pathetic Eponine until I finally got the role, but now that I get to be Ponine I don't really identify as well, because I'm a Cosette! I'm a Cosette playing Eponine!"  
  
"A Cosette? Oh, you mean because of Mark. He's so sweet, Nina! Don't you let him go."  
  
"The thought never crossed my mind."  
  
Both of their corsets sufficiently tightened, Nina and Amanda waited in the wings for the next number. Mark joined them, slipping an arm around Nina's waist. As the applause for "I Dreamed A Dream" died down, he kissed the top of her head, "Good luck," he whispered.  
  
She found his other hand and squeezed it before joining the rest of the girls onstage. Mark smiled after her.  
  
Scott, standing further back in the shadows, was not smiling. He sighed as Mark was turning away from the stage.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
Scott looked away, nodding.  
  
Mark continued to his dressing room.  
  
Amazingly, Scott did quite well during his first scene with Nina as Eponine. He nearly tripped when she grabbed his hand at the end of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" but recovered quickly. The first act ended without further mishap.  
  
Scott joined Mark at the barricades and gave Nina the letter to be delivered to Cosette. At the Rue Plumet, John took the letter, read it, and left the stage. Nina shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her overcoat and began to sing.  
  
"And now I'm all alone again, nowhere to turn, no one to go to..."  
  
Scott mouthed the words as Nina sang them. He stood in the wings by the runaway cart, wishing that she was really singing this song for him.  
  
As he leaned against the cart, Scott remembered how Nina had always stayed here when Danielle was doing "On My Own." He remembered that time, the first day that Nina and Mark had started to notice each other, when he had seen her standing here... and _he had ignored her_. Scott couldn't imagine himself doing something like that now.  
  
"Scott," whispered Mark's voice from the darkness, "you might wanna go on to the other side of the stage."  
  
Sighing again, Scott nodded and left.  
  
Mark raised an eyebrow. Had Scott always been like this? Sighing, moping... he didn't seem to be focusing on the show. Nina's song ended, the barricades moved onstage, and Mark's thoughts turned back to his revolution.  
  
The show continued without incident until "A Little Fall of Rain," of course.  
  
"There's a boy climbing the barricade!" Ryan shouted.  
  
The trouble started the second Scott opened his mouth. "Good God, what were you thinking? Ponine, have you no fear? Have you seen my... Why had you come out there?"  
  
Nina skillfully ignored his confusion. "Took the letter like you said..."  
  
Scott nearly dropped her when, a moment later, she collapsed into his arms. The two sank to the ground. Nina suddenly remembered the way it had felt that evening to lie in Mark's arms, covered in her own blood, certain that she was going to die. Her ribs throbbed at the memory, and she gasped in pain. The smell of burnt rubber filled her mind, and Nina remembered Mark's arms around her and his heartbeat in her ears as she lay her head against his shirt...  
  
When the other revolutionaries returned, Nina caught a glimpse of Mark standing at the front of the crowd, a tear rolling down his cheek. She tensed up for a moment, gasping.  
  
"Will make the flowers..."  
  
Nina smiled weakly at Scott and collapsed.  
  
"Grow..." Scott finished hoarsely.  
  
Kiss her. Marius kissed Eponine after her death. _Isn't it strange_, Scott thought, _that I'm the real Eponine and she's the real Marius?_ An image of Mark in Cosette's dress brought a vague smile to his lips. He hid it by pressing them against Nina's forehead.  
  
The kiss.  
  
The first time he had ever kissed Nina, and an image of Mark in a dress had ruined it.

* * *

A/N- Yay I updated! I'm actually working on the threquel, and it isn't too bad thus far. _-is happy-_ Marky Mark Mark! I love Mark.

nebulia- I'll let you have Ryan... Yeah, drugs are bad. And so is drinking. That's what my story is - anti-drugs/drinking protesting type thing... did that make sense? Nah.

Danica Enjolras- I'm feelin' for 'im. Poor kid. Yeah... let us see what he does... or if they're important to the story...

La Epster- Stuart? Yeah, take him. I'd forgotten all about him. Sure, I'll give you Stuart at the end of the trilogy.

Elyse3- Yes, John shall be yourn. Hehe... Danielle's on the road to insanity. I think her problem is she still loves Scott... thought they'd be together... mushy.

La Pamplemousse- I pity you w/o your Squishy. All I have are yearbook pictures of mine Squishy.

Mlle. Verity le Virago- I don't think he is thinkin' bout it. He's too... chaste? Sure, he's that. I think... _-wanders off in search of a dictionary-_

The Greenwitch, Fae- Sick... yeah, it's that. I thank you. I identify with her too. Do you remember Nina's mom, Sara? How she got interested in the stage in middle school and by then it was too late to actually hope for a stage career? Well, that's me.

Lola Pennington- Thank you muchly! I can't just write straight seriousness, I'm too goofy. "Must... add... insanity..." "Bad! Bad me! Be sane, sane I say!" "Seine?" ... That was me battling with myself a la Gollum.

Obsetress- I think I've got everyone worried with the blue pill... Muahahaha... I meant to update sooner, but I went camping INSTEAD of going to the Terrence Mann concert... _-big sigh-_

Forseti- Ah! You got it right on! Bad things, yes. Danielle... she makes a tiny reappearance in this story, but she's crucial to the next one. Worried? Good... you'll be prepared. Maybe.

RoseMisre- Camp? Way fun! Last time I went to camp I brought all my LM shirts (I had four) and people started calling me "Whiny flag girl" because I always had the LM logo on me somewhere.


	5. What Was Wrong Seems Right

After the accident, Bri had been sent to jail for drunk driving. Nina immediately scraped up enough money for the bail, to the apparent disapproval of Mark.  
  
"I care about you," she had said, talking his hands in hers, "but this time I can't take your advice. Bri is my friend, and she certainly didn't... do _that_... on purpose."  
  
As a thank you to Nina and an apology to the rest of the cast, Bri decided to throw a party (alcoholic beverages severely prohibited) for everyone at her apartment.  
  
Nina begged Mark to come with her over dinner.  
  
"She swore - _swore_ - that she wouldn't let anyone drink! Please come!"  
  
"Nina! She nearly..."  
  
"I know, Mark, but I have to go to the party and it'll be dull without you. Please?"  
  
Mark shook his head. "You can go if you have to, but I can't."  
  
"You won't forgive her?"  
  
"I can't! You have no idea what she did to me!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, she really hurt you, Mark."  
  
"I don't mean physically-"  
  
"You'll never recover, I'm sure."  
  
"Nina, I'm sorry..."  
  
"Mark," she said softly. "Just let it go. I did, and last time I checked it was me stuck in a hospital for months."  
  
"If it's that important I forgive her, then I promise I will... someday. Right now... I can't. I'll will – you have my word. Here, if anything goes wrong, call me," he pressed his cell phone into Nina's hand, "and I'll be there before you can hang up."  
  
"What could go wrong, Mark? No one'll be drinking; some of the other cast members'll be there... I wish you'd come."  
  
"I understand, but I couldn't talk to her," Mark insisted.  
  
Nina sighed. "I won't need the phone."  
  
"Please take it. It'll make me feel better, anyway."  
  
"Okay, okay, I'll take it. But this party is safe, Mark. I mean, who in the cast – our cast – would cause a problem like Bri did?"  
  
"John," Mark smiled, making a successful attempt to lighten the mood.  
  
"No he wouldn't. What would John do?"  
  
"Knowing him, something weird... John's a goof."  
  
"Don't talk about my friends," Nina laughed.  
  
Mark noticed his watch. "Alright then, let's get back to the theatre."  
  
Bri had bought a ticket to the night show, and afterwards she arrived at the stage door to show anyone who was coming to her party the way to her apartment. John, Rob, Amanda, and Ryan were among those who planned to go.  
  
Nina signed a few autographs and waited for Mark, who was collecting money for charity in the lobby of the theatre. He showed up in about ten minutes.  
  
"Seriously though," she said upon seeing Mark, "why'd you say John's a goof?"  
  
"Long story. He's going to the party too, isn't he?"  
  
"Yeah," Nina sighed. "Too bad _some_ people won't go."  
  
"Good grief, woman, leave me alone!"  
  
She smiled. "Got the phone, I'll call you if I need you."  
  
Mark nodded. "See ya tomorrow."  
  
He watched her make her way over to John and ask him something. John raised an eyebrow and then looked over at Mark, shaking his head.  
  
As Nina and the others were leaving for the party, Scott was leaving the dressing room. Mark had turned to go home when he noticed Scott stop in the middle of the sidewalk, turn around, and head back to the stage door.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mark called.  
  
Scott stopped again and faced Mark. "Left my jacket in the dressing room."  
  
Again he started to go back inside.  
  
"Hey Scott?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I was talking to a man at the café the other day. He said he knew you. A guy named Shawn? He said he was one of the extras in Miss Saigon back when you were Chris," Mark said.  
  
"Shawn? Yeah, I know him."  
  
"I asked him how Danielle was doing, and he said he didn't know. Said he hadn't seen her since she left to be in Les Mis. I said, 'Didn't she go back to being Kim?' 'No,' Shawn says. He said to ask you where she was."  
  
A dark look passed over Scott's face.  
  
"D'you know what happened to Danielle?" Mark asked.  
  
"I'm sure she's around," Scott said quietly.  
  
"I just thought that was kinda interesting. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Scott nodded curtly at Mark, then went back into the theater for his jacket.

* * *

A/N- With the next chapter I might up the rating out of absolute paranoia. Hehehe... I love this story. Oh, and remember, guys, I'm a crazy ax-murderer, as you could probably tell by the end of Words of Love. NO CHARACTER IS SAFE FROM ME!

Danica Enjolras- Don't worry! Reviews make me keep going. Sometimes, when I feel uninspired to continue a fic, reread the reviews and then feel loved... unless I'd already written the fic out, like this one. Then I'll finish it whether I get reviews or not.

Obsetress- Oh, that's obnxious, isn't it? I'm going to Louisiana with my church next week, and I'll be out of the fanfiction game till... Saturday? Friday? I don't even know when I'm coming back!

Forseti- Yes, Mark's a cutie. Shows a little dark side in this chapter with his forgiveness issue, but all in all he's sweet. Next chapter is the turning point of the story! I'm excited.

nebulia- Scott has issues... but we all love him anyway... except for Nina. I tried to tell Scott to quit moping over her, but he doesn't listen to me.

Lola Pennington- He's confusing, isn't he? Kinda pathetic too. Giggling like a little girl is fun! People give you looks.

La Pamplemousse- I'm feeling bad for Mark now... little does he know that all these people are picturing him in a dress...

RoseMisre- Last summer at camp I was making an Enjolras and an Eponine out of beads and singing Les Mis to myself when a random counselor started singing with me... which is always a strange thing to happen. I spazzed, of course.

Andi;;- Sorry that took awhile, but I wasn't happy with the original version of this chapter and then I hated the new version I came up with. This is the third version of this chapter, and I'm still not totally happy with it, but it's close enough... I originally had something about stealing peoples' shoelaces... Told you it was bad.


	6. But the Tigers Come At Night

A/N- You know something dramatic will happen in a chapter of this series when you see that I'm putting the Author's Note first. Ooh... nervous yet? So, I just got back from doing mission work in Renton, Louisiana, with my church group. We fixed up some of the junkiest and saddest houses I'd ever seen. But, I'm so glad to be back in a place with internet access! Oh, and what happens in this chapter WILL be explained later if you think its OOC.  
  
Else3- Confused? Because Danielle isn't Kim? She quit LM and told people she was going back to Miss Saigon but lied. She's really just boozing around, driving herself crazy. Because Mark said John is a goof? He was trying to change the mood... afraid Nina was gonna get really angry with him or something. Everything else will (hopefully) be cleared up.  
  
Lola Pennington- Well, we need Bri around. Yeah, 'twas a Louisiana mission trip, why? Where you there? Or were people you knew there? That'd be really weird.  
  
Andi;;- I stole the stealing shoelaces idea from the great and wonderful angel of fanfiction known as Mystical Chinchilla. Her stuff is amazing, and I do apologize for my burglary, but I felt like using it.  
  
La Pamplemousse- Fun image, isn't it? I almost left that out for some reason... glad I didn't. Oh, if you read this chapter and feel that I have in some way copied your great works, remember that I didn't come up with the plot of this one – my good friend Pink Velvet, who has never read a fanfic in her life, did. So anything that seems to be your idea was a pure coincidence, and I apologize anyway.  
  
Obsetress- Ugh, I hate it too! Luckily not too many people updated while I was gone. Ooh... that would be an interesting plot. However...  
  
RoseMisre- Oh, don't worry. I don't go that deep. I decided that I didn't need to up my ratings cos Back to the Future is très worse than this and it remains at a PG level. I'm always so obscure about everything.  
  
nebulia- I guess they're just pals. (Hehe... "pals") Well, I'd call my friends goof for no apparent reason too, although John really is something of a goof. That's just how he is, as you have and will see.

* * *

Three crucial things happened that night at the party.  
  
The first was that Scott showed up late. When he entered the room he made straight for the table where Nina was sitting, walking a little sideways. As he sat down, Nina saw that his eyes were red. She smelled alcohol on his breath.  
  
"Where've you been, Scott?"  
  
"Around... Where's Mark?" was the vague response. He smiled crookedly.  
  
"He couldn't come."  
  
There was a pause. Nina looked away from Scott, who had shoved his hand into the pocket of his brown leather jacket, started, and given the pocket a strange look.  
  
She stared into her glass of water, wishing that Mark had come.  
  
Scott seemed to have decided to leave. He stood up suddenly, bumping into Nina and making her spill her water across the table.  
  
This was the second thing.  
  
The third was that she allowed Scott to refill it.  
  
"I'm so sorry," he said again, placing her glass on the table in front of her.  
  
"That's fine," Nina sighed.  
  
She took a sip of the water. Scott had dropped into the seat next to her and was staring at her, smiling the crooked smile as she set the glass down.  
  
"What?"  
  
He shook his head slowly. "Nothing. Sorry."  
  
Nina again found herself gazing blankly into her glass. The water seemed to be a very vague shade of blue... She blinked and told herself that the glass was tinted.  
  
Scott did not say another word until Nina had finished her water. Someone dug up a CD of the Les Mis dance party, and the beat from the techno version of "On My Own" made the room shake. Nina shuddered. It was so loud and dark... she was beginning to feel dizzy. Her head hurt.  
  
Scott grabbed her arm. "Let me show you something!"  
  
He leapt to his feet and headed toward the door. Nina followed. Why did she feel she was forgetting something? Before they reached the door, Scott paused and dropped a small plastic bag into the trashcan. It was empty.  
  
He led Nina outside and down the street several blocks. She was getting dizzier by the second, and it only took turning down a few more streets for Nina to become completely disoriented.  
  
She had no idea what building they entered. In the elevator, Nina nearly collapsed and had to grab Scott's arm for support. He pulled her close to him, and again she smelled alcohol. He smiled crookedly.  
  
Nina was forgetting something – but what? It was nagging at her mind... Scott. Did it have to do with the way his arms were around her waist? It felt right... yet there something about it that was wrong.  
  
Before she could collect her thoughts the elevator was stopping and Scott was leading her down another hallway. The world reeled as he was unlocking a door and pulling Nina inside. She couldn't remember why he had taken her from the party. She didn't understand why she was so dizzy.  
  
Scott pulled her toward a black leather couch with a gray afghan. The room pitched violently, and the last thing Nina saw before sliding into a complete blackness was Scott's crooked smile. 


	7. When the Night is Over

Scott awoke with an awful headache. He didn't open his eyes, but it seemed to be daytime. He realized that he was lying on the floor.  
  
Why?  
  
He slowly opened his eyes. When his apartment came into focus, he recognized the ceiling of the living room.  
  
But that wasn't what gave him a shock. Someone's arm was hanging over the edge of the couch, her hand only inches from Scott's cheek.  
  
He sat up as quickly as he could, clutching his aching head. Closing his eyes, Scott tried to remember what had happened the night before.  
  
He remembered Mark and Nina talking at the stage door, and Nina leaving for the party. Mark had said something about Danielle... she'd lied. Danielle hadn't been asked to return to Miss Saigon... she'd quit Les Mis to get away from Scott, and had somehow ended up as he had seen her that night outside the bar...  
  
The bar!  
  
After Mark left, Scott had gone back for his jacket and then wandered into the bar in hopes of finding Danielle. A man had bought him a drink.  
  
And another.  
  
And another.  
  
No matter how hard he tried, Scott couldn't remember how he'd gotten home, or who was on the couch and why.  
  
He pulled his hands away from his eyes and squinted at the couch. It looked as if his afghan had fallen atop the girl at some point in the night. He saw only her arm and several locks of brown hair.  
  
Slowly getting to his feet, Scott pulled the afghan off of the girl.  
  
It was Nina.  
  
He staggered back a few paces, tripped over his coffee table and landed on the floor. The noise did not wake Nina.  
  
Seized with a sudden wave of fear, he yanked open the door and rushed down the stairs and into the street.  
  
Unsure of what to do, Scott began to run.  
  
------  
  
Nina awoke a few hours later to a similar headache and disorientation. Her blouse was unbuttoned and her skirt was twisted around her waist. She slowly climbed off of the couch and straightened her clothing.  
  
It was then that she realized that she had no idea where she was. Looking around the strange apartment, Nina found a picture on the mantle. She picked it up.  
  
The photograph showed a group of people posing on a stage, apparently in costume. Most of them were Asian, including two children. Nina only recognized two of the people in the photo – Danielle and Scott.  
  
Scrawled across the bottom of the picture was "To Christopher/Scott, our favorite leading man."  
  
Scott?  
  
She remembered him coming to the party late... and drunk. He'd refilled her water, and immediately after drinking it she'd started feeling dizzy. Everything else was a blur.  
  
But Nina could guess what had happened.  
  
It all made sense – or it would were it someone else. Nina couldn't understand it.  
  
Scott?  
  
She left the building and found that she was only a few blocks away from her own home.  
  
Upon reaching her apartment, Nina closed her door, locked it, and leaned against it. She fingered Mark's cell phone, still in her pocket. Should she call him?  
  
No. If Mark knew what had happened... She already felt cheap... used... It was her fault... She could have stopped it... Mark couldn't love someone who... Could he?  
  
Of course not. He deserved someone as sweet and pure as he was. Nina wouldn't say anything.  
  
The cell phone in her pocket rang, and she answered it slowly.  
  
"Nina? Is that you?"  
  
"Yeah, Mark."  
  
"I guess that's a given – who else would have my phone?"  
  
Nina made a weak attempt at laughter.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"I... I'm... I don't know..."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing... it's..."  
  
"Nina, the show's starting in half an hour. I'm coming over there, alright? I'll be there in a few minutes."  
  
"Mark, no... nothing's wrong. I'm okay, I promise. I'll see you at the theater, okay?"  
  
"If you say so. You've got me worried now."  
  
"Sorry... Bye, Mark."  
  
Nina turned off the phone, changed quickly, and set off toward the theater.

* * *

A/N- I'm listening to the OFCA right now... it's playing "Demain," which is like One Day More... except creepier. Anyway... hope that explained Scott's... choices... and Danielle's. Man, they're so messed up they deserve each other. But yeah, Elyse3's statement "They're all crazy!" will be made obvious rather soon.

elenlaurelin- I thank you. Okay... let's see if I can do something about that... somehow. I tried several summaries with "Words of Love" before my love quadrilateral thing... Your review made me feel special. -feels special- Here, have a cyber-cookie.

nebulia- Ah, that's the plan! I needed something no good. Hehe... you'll see...

Andi;;- Oh, have you never heard techno On My Own? Lucky, I say. That and Laura Kalpakian's "Cosette" are the bane of Les Mis fans everywhere... -eye twitches- I downloaded it when I had KaZaA... it totured me.

Lola Pennington- There were so many people there, we'd probably have never seen each other. But it was awesome fun. I loved the whole trip to death.

Forseti- I guess no one ever told him that. Don't worry though, he gets his.

Mlle Verity le Virago- I guess it would depend on how drunk Eponine was at the time. No, I don't think I've read that, why? Is it similar? And maybe you asked it before, but I have the memory of a goldfish, so you can say things repeatedly and I won't know it.

La Pamplemousse- No, your stuff is awesome! Really, it's greatness. Nah, Nina's mom is an insane Les Mis fan with problems... as you'll see in the threquel. She wouldn't have taken karate or taikwondo (I know I spelled that wrong) unless someone in LM did.

Elyse3- Poor Scott... he's so un-Marius-ish that everyone's hating him. As I think I said, he'll get his eventually.

Obsetress- Alcohol is the root of all problems, I tell you! Scott's problems in general are because of his mother (don't know if you remember that from the first story, but Scott's mom was a drunk), and then he goes out and causes more problems when he gets drunk. These stories are my anti-drugs/alcohol campain.


	8. The Sigh of a Faraway Song

Scott found himself in an alley and leaned against a dumpster. What time was it? It seemed that he was supposed to be somewhere...  
  
What had he done? He felt awful... so dirty. A snatch of music continuously ran through his mind... something from a show he had been in once... the words slowly came to him.  
  
_I shattered Kim... now Ellen too. _  
  
Kim? Ellen? He couldn't remember who they were... the image of an Asian girl hanging on the arm of a stranger crossed his mind... another girl with long brown hair and deep blue eyes...  
  
The man at the bar had insisted that a drink would help him... Yet it hadn't, of course.  
  
It had created more problems.  
  
That had been the first time Scott had ever had alcohol, although he had turned twenty-one a long time ago. He had sworn that he would never drink... He was afraid he could turn out like _her_.  
  
After all, Scott had seen what alcohol could do.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Again he was by that stage door, the applause still ringing in his ears. Older people were standing around with programs, talking excitedly.  
  
"Look! That's Gavroche! Oh, he's so adorable!"  
  
Playbills were everywhere, and a forest of arms held out pens for him to sign his name. Scott beamed at them and reached for the nearest program.  
  
He was interrupted by a car horn blaring and a coarse voice.  
  
"Come on, boy! Get in here!"  
  
"Mama? Can I sign their playbills first?"  
  
A door slammed. "I said get in this car right now!"  
  
"But Mama..."  
  
The older people with programs scattered nervously, and a strong hand grabbed Scott's arms and lifted him off the sidewalk... it hurt, but she wouldn't let him go... shoved him into the car and slammed the door. The smell of alcohol made his eyes water.  
  
She started the car and pulled jerkily out into the traffic. Scott stayed quiet for a moment, but couldn't bear to suppress his pride.  
  
"I did good, Mama! They said-"  
  
"Shut up! You're a good-for-nothing little brat."  
  
Scott waited for her to finish cursing the traffic light that was keeping the car from moving forward.  
  
"Mama, I did really good! They told me-"  
  
She smacked him, and he tasted blood.  
  
"They said-"  
  
"Shut up, boy! I don't want to hear from you! That idiot behind me leaning on his horn is bad enough!"  
  
"But Mama..."  
  
"I – said – I – don't – want – to – hear – from – you!"  
  
With each word came a slap. Tears stung his eyes.  
  
"Mama..."  
  
She hit him again.  
  
"Stop it, Mama! I just wanted to tell you-"  
  
This time her fist hit his jaw. Scott pulled the door open and collapsed onto the street, his only thought to get away. He heard a squeal of tires and the car was gone.  
  
There was nowhere to go but back to the stage door... to the theater... the other actors had seen little Gavroche bruised, bloody, and in tears... called the police... foster home after foster home... the theatre his only escape...  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Shivering, Scott pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. The theater! That was where he was supposed to be!  
  
But which theater? Where? What show?  
  
He rested his chin on his knees and closed his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts.  
  
It was cold...

* * *

A/N- Yay I'm back from camp! And I've been mentally writing the threquel all week... When I realized that this was the next chapter to post I go "YAY CRAZY SCOTT!" And my mom says, "Who's Scott? Is this someone from camp I should know about?" Hehehe...  
  
Elyse3- Somehow "gar" summed that up for me. Hehe... many a people in this series have issues. Duh to me.  
  
Danica Enjolras- Do you feel even worse for him now? This is another one of my random 'explaining the root of his problems' chapters.  
  
Forseti- Uh-oh... you'll know why I had to say that later... please don't hate me at the end of this story...  
  
nebulia- That's exactly what happened. And yeah, you really should, but some people are just... well, crazy.  
  
Lola Pennington- No! Scott isn't Capital R! _-beats head against table to clear bad images-_ He's definitely got clothes on. 

TaRe-ChiBi- Aw... ickle fat Tam! I liked JJB lots... of course; he's the only Engineer I've seen live. I do have the "Hey Mr. Producer!" DVD, and that has Jonathan Pryce on it... he's not bad, just a little creepy.  
  
RoseMisre- Hehehe... I like the last two chapters, this one, and the next one. I was on a roll when I was writing these...


	9. A Reckoning Still to be Reckoned

A week passed, and none of the cast heard from Scott. John went to his apartment to check on him after another week had gone by. The door was unlocked and the place was empty. John had reported that it looked like nothing had been touched for weeks: the answering machine tape was full, a glass of dusty water was sitting on the kitchen counter, and an afghan was lying on the floor.  
  
He called the police.  
  
Nina said nothing. She couldn't admit her shame to anyone – not even Mark. He sensed a change in her. She didn't speak unless someone spoke directly to her, and she always seemed jumpy and preoccupied.  
  
A few days after John had called the police, ten minutes before the show, Mark knocked on the dressing room door.  
  
"Nina? I need to talk to you."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"That's what I want to– what I _nee_d to know. You haven't been yourself for about... I dunno... two weeks... two... weeks..." he frowned, thinking for a moment. "Scott disappeared two weeks ago, Nina, and you've been acting strange ever since the party..."  
  
Nina began to panic. No! Mark couldn't know what had happened! He would leave her, hate her, be ashamed of her... She needed him, couldn't live without him! He couldn't know.  
  
She tried to turn away, but he grabbed both of her arms and held her there. "What about Scott? Nina? Do you know where he is?"  
  
Nina shook her head, but couldn't look him in the face.  
  
"I'm worried about you," Mark said quietly. "You can tell me. I'll still love you, no mater what it is. Even... even if you killed Scott or something," Nina couldn't hide a vague smile. "I'd be afraid of you, but I'd still love you. I'd come visit you in the jail every day and help you break out, if you wanted. Or I could go kill someone to be with you. You can tell me anything."  
  
She wanted to tell someone, but she couldn't. "I... I guess I'm just worried about Scott."  
  
Mark studied her face for a moment, then nodded and let her go. As she disappeared into the darkness he whispered, "Why were you worried about Scott before we knew he'd gone missing?"  
  
Nina did not hear.

* * *

A/N- I didn't realize this was such a short chapter! Oh well. I have so much trouble taking Cats seriously. Don't worry all you Cats fans – I plan to give it a fair chance someday. _-wonders what that had to do with anything-_ I can't help it, I'm just random like that. Everyone pray for Philip Quast!  
  
Elyse3- Camp was great fun. We were loud and random and a lot of kids there knew LM, and if not that they knew Phantom. So it was good.  
  
nebulia- Oh, everyone loves him. When I was saying 'he gets his' I was referring to 'he's about to go crazy'. At the time, that was as far as I felt I needed to foreshadow.  
  
Forseti- Did someone already claim Scott when the fic is done? Because if no one else did, I think I'd give him to you for that lovely little scenario.  
  
RoseMisre- Now everyone loves Scott again! Yay! I think...  
  
La Pamplemousse- That's what one would say, but I've noticed that little kids don't really use common sense. By little, however, I mean much younger than Scott was in that flashback, so... whatever.  
  
Lola Pennington- That's what I'm here for – to make everyone look good, no matter what they've done. Is that a song? Maybe not... 


	10. How Can I Ever Face My Fellow Men?

A/N- Wow, the sequel is drawing to a close (which stinks, because I'm only about halfway through with the threquel). Well, there're about four chapters after this one. I'm just gonna start putting my A/N and stuff before the chapter because it's... easier. Yay for more crazy Scott! Yeah, so I posted a phic! Whoo! The characters of Phantom are re-enacting Les Mis... it's called The New Production and should be quite insane. Go read it _-cheesy smile-  
_  
nebulia- I go to a happy little camp in the NC mountains known as Lutheridge, but I assume that there were so many musical theatre geeks there only because it was Music Week.  
  
Lola Pennington- My mom's cat's name is Lola. Because my cat's name is Koko, and she thinks Koko & Lola is funny. Sorry these chapters are so short! There's one in the threquel that's long enough to be its own story, if that makes you feel better.  
  
Forseti- Elyse3 claimed John, nebulia claimed Ryan, Danica Enjolras claimed Rob, and La Epster wants Stuart. Looks like Scott's free, congratulations.  
  
What! Three reviews? Where are you people? _-feels abandoned-

* * *

_  
  
Scott was hungry.  
  
The last time he'd eaten had been that day... so long ago... he'd seen a man park his car outside a building and duck inside, leaving a paper bag on the hood. Recognizing the smell of food, Scott had dashed out of his alley, grabbed the bag, and retreated into the shadows.  
  
That had happened about a week after the party, although Scott had lost track of time. It had been a long time since he had eaten, and an even longer time since he'd had an organized thought. This was all Scott knew.  
  
His face, once gorgeous, had changed drastically. His cheeks were hollowed and dark circled had formed under his eyes. That sandy-brown hair was matted and tangled, and Scott was almost unrecognizable.  
  
Had he been admitted to a hospital at this point, they would have locked him up.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Nina leaned against the locked door, staring wildly at the horrible little thing clutched in her hand.  
  
It showed one word in tiny black lettering – one word that had made her shattered world sink into even more torture.  
  
Positive.  
  
It would not be hidden. The ugly secret had to show itself.  
  
Nina put a hand to her stomach.  
  
She had to tell him now. Maybe he could still escape with his dignity.  
  
Dignity...  
  
Hers was gone, and she could see no way for it to return.  
  
How long could she stay with the show? Would the others think it was Mark's fault? How could they?  
  
She had to tell him – to let him out. She couldn't mar his purity with her shame.  
  
Nina pulled herself to her feet.

* * *

A/N (again)- Crap, this one was short, too! Oh well. While I'm down here, feel free to review and check out The New Production. Hint, hint. Wink. 


	11. There Are Dreams that Cannot Be

A/N- This one might be a little longer than the last few chapters have been. I dunno... all the chapters since... uh... the one where Mark is asking Nina about Scott backstage have only been about a page long in my purple notebook of fanfiction. We shall see. Three more chapters till the sequel est fini.

La Pamplemousse- Yes, be worried. For everyone.

nebulia- Yay for long reviews! My mom's annoying cat just jumped into my lap and now it's really hard to tjype. GET OFF! Urgh. Every time I go to type it startss likcing me. Anyway... Yay for hanging readers and fastballs! Oh... maybe that's why I've only been getting three rev9ews a chapter. I dunno. Hehehe... Yay the cat left!

RoseMisre- That's okay. Good luck with that whole moving thing. I've never moved before... lucky me _-smiles-

* * *

_  
  
"Hey, Nina. I thought you didn't want to go to the café today."  
  
She didn't answer. Mark saw tears in her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong? Here, come in." He pulled Nina out of the hallway and closed the door. Taking both of her hands in his, he asked again, "What's wrong?"  
  
"Mark..." she whispered. "I have to tell you. I can't... when... I didn't..." A tear rolled down her cheek. "It's because... the party, Mark. I didn't want..."  
  
"Okay, Nina. Tell me about the party. What happened?"  
  
"I was... oh, how can I tell you? Scott... he was drunk when he came... came to my table," she broke off in a sob.  
  
"Scott was at the party? Drunk? Scott was drunk?"  
  
She nodded, drying one cheek with the back of her hand.  
  
"Scott was drunk," Mark repeated. "Then what?"  
  
"My water... he went to refill it and... I don't know... he must have put something in it because all I know is I woke up... I guessed what had happened... it was morning..."  
  
Mark was slowly beginning to pale. "It was morning? Where was Scott?"  
  
Nina shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Where were you?"  
  
She covered her face with her hands so that Mark hardly heard her reply. "Scott's apartment."  
  
He stared at her for a second as she cried silently. "Nina," Mark said, gently pulling her hands away from her face, "are you saying that Scott... our Marius..." his voice dropped to a whisper, "took advantage of you?"  
  
Nina's face turned bright red, but she nodded.  
  
"Oh my God," Mark said under his breath. He pulled her close to him and held her as she sobbed into his shirt.  
  
Nina's back stiffened and she pushed him away. "Mark... I can't... I can't let you... make you... I have to quit the show and leave. They'll think it was you..."  
  
"No you don't! You don't have to go anywhere," he said firmly. "They don't have to know, Nina."  
  
She looked away from him. "They will know."  
  
"How? The only way they'd know is if you... Oh no... you don't mean... Nina?"  
  
She stepped away from him. "I'm going to quit the show as soon as I can. Goodbye, Mark."  
  
"No, don't-"  
  
She smiled wryly. "You said you'd kill someone to be in prison with me. What could you do about this?"  
  
Nina left, closing the door behind her.


	12. I Am Reaching

A/N- Ladeda... I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been volunteering at the old folks' home, doing last minute summer homework (my school starts Monday), and babysitting. Oh, and mowing the neighbor's lawn – I have to get to Paris somehow!

Obsetress- Frightening thought... I dunno, I guess Nina is anti-abortion... and that would kinda ruin my plot. But it's a thought. Hope you had fun at camp.

nebulia- Nina should have a conversation with some of you guys. Lemme see... she doesn't want go on with the show because... er... she's afraid what people will think of her and/or Mark if she shows up pregnant. Yeah, that's it.

elenlaurelin- You're aren't dense! I'm really... what's the word... ugh I don't remember. Anyway, I never come right out and say things going on, I just hint a lot and assume people will pick up on it. Basically, she's pregnant with Scott's child. Scary, huh?

Danica Enjolras- Angst is so much fun! Hehehe... I think my new ficlet is a little angsty... maybe it's just sad. The new one in Les Petites. You're sniffling, crying, and saying 'MEEP' and 'GAH'. Are these good things?

Lola Pennington- Thank you very much. It's been bothering me lately that I don't go in depth enough... and I keep skirting around what I want to say... Yeah, I tend to try to say scandalous things like a nun would. (That's an interesting thought.) Scandalous! That was the word for this story...

The Greenwitch, Fae- That's it! I thank you muchly! I knew there was something I wasn't getting quite right in this story. Okay, going in depth... that's the new assignment. Thanks so much. Yeah, The New Production is... interesting, if nothing else.

Scott left his alley, looking for food.

It was getting dark.

He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he had nothing to eat.

Avoiding well-lit streets, he slunk through the shadows, ducking into an alley at any sign of noise.

The door of an apartment building flew open and a girl rushed out. Scott flattened himself against a wall.

Her tear-streaked face was illuminated by the streetlights as she looked right and left, then hurried down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

There was something about her... Scott followed the girl silently.

She stopped at another apartment building a few blocks later and reached for the door, but stopped. Her fingers lighted on the doorknob as she shook her head. "I can't..."

Scott's eyes widened. He knew her! She... it was her fault, somehow – her fault that he was here. Yet a wave of guilt hit him as she stepped back from the door and began to cry again. Once more Scott followed her as she hurried away.

The sidewalk ended at a park, but the girl continued on almost blindly. She didn't slow until she reached the little river.

There was a curved bridge there. Its wood had been red long ago, but the paint was chipping away and kids had carved and written their names all over the short railings.

The girl stood at the highest point of the bridge and gazed into the shadowy water. Scott knelt into the bushes nearby, watching her. Why had she come here? More importantly, why had he followed her?

The girl stood completely still for a long time. Scott watched her for a long time, trying to remember who she was. However, his mind began to wonder and he found himself watching the little river. It looked deep under the bridge... A breeze swept the little park; a swing creaked and the bushes began to rustle. The girl's hair blew to one side, and she jerkily brushed a bit out of her face.

Scott had expected her to go back to staring at the water, but she surprised him. She put one leg over the little railing as though she would stand on the narrow ledge on the other side.

Something about this scene was bothering Scott. It was as if he had seen it all before.

The girl's hand went to her stomach, and she slowly stepped back from the railing and looked at her watch. She gasped and began to run in the direction from which they had come.

Scott waited until she was out of sight before he climbed onto the bridge himself. Why did this seem so familiar?

He listened to the sound of rushing water below him and realized that he was hearing music in his mind – music that seemed to go with that sound.

_/I am reaching, but I fall... /_

The bridge!

It all came rushing back to him.

The show! He was Marius! How long had he been gone? Did they need him? Should he go there tonight?

Scott took one step in the direction of the theater, then stopped. He couldn't go back there... He had...

The tears on that girl's cheeks... the way she had nearly thrown herself into the water below... It was his fault. Everything was his fault.

Scott stared at the river rushing under him.

"Nina..." he whispered. "Oh my God... what have I done?"


	13. And Still I Dream

A/N- This was going to be a quick update, but the site wasn't cooperating with me. I was going to post this chapter on Saturday, the day after I updated, just because I loved the reviews from T-R-Us so very much. It didn't work, though, so this is the best I can do. Oh well. This is my favorite of favorite chapters. If it doesn't make you smile, you can flame me.

nebulia- When I was writing this story, my friend Pink Velvet was constantly saying "It's so soap opera-ish!" but, as you said, she told me it was in a good way. Maybe I should be the scriptwriter for a soap opera...

elenlaurelin- Nina is currently safe from all and/or any kind(s) of death. Hehe... that looked like a question off a test or something. No, no STD's are present in my stories.

T-R-Us- I loved your kind, kind, kind reviews! You made me feel... well... loved. I did try to do one of the quickest updates I've ever done just for you, but... as I said... the site was all messed up.

Danica Enjolras- You love Scott almost as much as Rob and Mark? Wow... he has a following now. My English teacher's first name is Mark, and every time I see/hear it I get so distracted...

The Artist Formerly Known As The Greenwitch, Fae- There are some things I see in fanfiction that I really wish could be a video/recording. It would be quite... amusing. Then again, I am easily amused.

BellaSpirita- Yay another reader! I love your diary of Victor Hugo. I tried to review it, but for some reason the computer I was on wasn't working. Yeah, I hope Gary Morris never reads this story...

Obsetress- Fabity-fab-fab? That's a new word that I'll have to attempt to put into circulation. Nina... is... I dunno. I just... thought she should have a kid from Scott. It's my strange soap opera-ish tendencies. Odd, because I've never even seen a soap. Except once... but that was an accident, simply an accident.

* * *

Nina arrived at the theater several minutes after the curtain rose.

"Nina," Amanda gasped. "Oh, Nina! We were so worried about you! Mark showed up a long time ago, and he was almost crazy! John practically wrestled him into his convict costume and had to shove him onstage when the show started..."

_Mark..._ Nina thought sadly. _I told him that we couldn't work... It's over... It has to be over... There's nothing I can do... nothing he can do..._

The convicts were filing offstage, and Mark immediately rushed to her. "Nina! Where were you? I was so worried..."

"I had to... I... lost track of time," she answered quietly, stepping away from him.

"Come on," Amanda said, pulling her into the dressing room.

The state of despair in which Nina found herself made for another breath-taking performance. The sound of sniffling and nose blowing from the audience nearly drowned out Mark's lines after Nina had collapsed into the arms of Scott's understudy.

By the time the curtain call was over, Nina was ready to go home. She turned to leave the stage, but John stood in her way. He whispered, "Stay here."

"My name is Mark," came a voice from behind her, "and – as you probably know – I play Enjolras-" He was interrupted by a wild applause.

Nina turned to face him. Mark smiled at her as he continued to speak to the audience. "I've met quite a few people who are avid fans of the show, and I've answered some odd questions in the time I've been in Les Mis. The ones I hear most often are, 'How'd you get on the flag?', 'Why'd you say for Marius to rest after telling everyone not to sleep?', and the ever-popular 'Where can I get a vest like that?'"

Several of the audience cheered, and Mark paused again. Nina looked around the stage, surprised to see that the entire cast was standing behind her. John grinned and winked when he caught her confused glance.

"But my favorite question is definitely 'Why doesn't Enjolras hook up with Eponine?' I've gotten that one quite often – does anyone else wonder about that?"

There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd and, interestingly enough, from the cast.

"Those of you who've read the book get it, because Eponine in the book wasn't beautiful like the one onstage." Nina flushed. "In the book... it's just impossible."

Mark grabbed one of Nina's hands and pulled her toward him.

"This isn't the book."

John stepped forward, handing him a little black box. Mark took it and dropped to one knee.

"Eponine – Nina? Will you marry me?"

Her mind raced. _But I've told him that we can't be together! I'm pregnant with Scott's child – didn't he hear that? If people realized that I was pregnant before the wedding they would think... But what do I care what they think? What do I want? Don't I want to be with him? And here he is offering to help me with this child..._

"Say 'yes'!" someone shouted from the balcony. A few people laughed nervously.

Nina looked at Mark's face. He was beginning to look worried. She made a decision.

"Of course I will."

Mark got to his feet, pulled Nina into his arms, and kissed her.

The applause was louder than it had been for the show.


	14. At Dawn

A/N- Last chapter. Please don't hurt me, it had to happen. Tune in for the threquel, "In Your Embrace At Last". It might be a few days before I start posting it.

Obsetress- Lea Salonga was in a soap? Cool. Hehe... It makes me happy when I can change a reader's entire mood... especially when said change is noticable to others. Thanks for your reviews this story, and I hope you'll follow the threquel.

Danica Enjolras- I know, he shoulda just married her when she got outta the hospital and ruined my sequel. But not necessarily the threquel, which, by the way, I hope you'll r&r also. Thanks for reading the first two installments!

nebulia- Thanks for all your reviews! I love cuteness and fluff and whatnot myself... thus the last chapter. And about half of the threquel. Hope you'll keep reading.

T-R-Us- Your reviews make me so happy! You're too nice, really. I'm glad I can brighten your... fanfiction... day... with my stories, though. I've made you cry? Wow...

Sorrowful Wind-Whisperer- Yay that was unexpected! I was afraid it would be obvious... But I'm glad it wasn't. Heh... yeah, and you'll be trying to figure out how I'll have a plot for my threquel after this chapter. And I do hope you'll read the threquel as I post it.

Mlle. Verity le Virago- I made you purr! Hehehe... yay! Thanks for reviewing this fic, and I hope you'll read the threquel. -cheesy grin-

elenlaurelin- I love fuzzy fluffiness oh-so-very much. As is possibly apparent in these here stories. Although I also have a thing for angst... which is probably also apparent. Hope you read the threquel, and thanks for reading this'n. 

* * *

The water still had swirls of red winding through it. It found its way over many rocks in its course, and did not notice one more obstacle in its path.

The little river was deceptive in the place where it was crossed by the bridge. The shadow hid how shallow it really was – here the water was a little less than six inches deep.

Many children had come to swim in this spot, disappointed to find that it was barely good for wading. Large rocks were hidden under the smooth surface.

And now a young man, also under the deception of the shadows, had learned of this trickery.

Perhaps.

Or perhaps it had been instantaneous. Perhaps he had not had time to wish he had found a higher bridge or a deeper river.

Had he suffered? Possibly. No one had been there when he had thrown himself into the water. There were no witnesses.

Police identified him as a young man who had gone missing a little over two weeks ago. An autopsy showed that he had not eaten in days. The rocks at the bottom of the stream had broken his back.

They notified the people who had turned him in as missing.

His funeral was held two days later. Among the guests were a pretty young girl and her tall fiancé, a man with a rash covering his jawbone, and, in the back of the crowd, a sobbing Asian girl with long, dark hair.

"Bring him home," sighed a bearded man at the front of the crowd. "Bring him home."


End file.
